The second day of the Permanent People’s Tribunal session Rojava vs Turkey continued with the presentation “Rape and sexual violence in secret prisons - methods of torture and war” by prosecution team investigator Anni Pues.

Pues, a Senior Lecturer in International Law at the University of Glasgow, is also a legal practitioner, who has acted as Counsel at the Kosovo Specialist Chambers, the International Criminal Court, and the European Court of Justice. Opening the case, she said: “The presentation in the case of Nadia Hassan Suleiman, Lonjin Abdo and others includes accusations of arbitrary detention, torture, rape and other forms of sexual violence as war crimes. These acts are war crimes committed during a non-international armed conflict under customary international law. Turkey is additionally accused of the crime against humanity of enforced disappearance in this case. The experiences of Nadia Hassan Suleiman and Lonjin Abdo are representative of the suffering of many women. Their testimonies evidence the systematic use of rape and severe sexual violence as a weapon of war and as a method of torture.”

Pues added that “Nadia Hassan Suleiman was subject to enforced disappearance by Turkish authorities between 2nd August 2018 and December 2020. She was abducted and taken to the headquarters of the Turkish intelligence agency MIT (Millî İstihbarat Teşkilâtı). Nobody was notified of her whereabouts. After her capture, she was tortured and raped multiple times. During her detention at various prison sites, she was kept in inhumane conditions, deprived of food and water, subjected to severe physical violence, and endured psychological torture. Lonjin Abdo experienced the same fate and was for some time detained together with Nadia Hassan Suleiman. She endured rape on a nearly daily basis as part of her captivity.”

Cultural and historical erasure

Prosecution team investigator Socratates Tziazas presented the case on cultural and historical erasure. Tziazas consulted expert witness professore Odisseas Christou on violations such as desecration of graveyards and the destruction and plunder of archeological sites, such as Ain Dara Temple, in south Afrin, in January 2018. The temple dated back to the first millennium BC and was completely destroyed by the Turkish bombing.

Tziazas said that “Afrin was one of the rarest cultural heritage regions in the world in terms of its possession of a huge number of archaeological and historical sites distributed over (366) villages in the Afrin region and dating back to different historical eras.

Since 2018, when the operation “Olive branch” took place, various cultural/ religious and archaeological sites have fallen victim to desecration, vandalism, looting and destruction.”

Bombing of Shemoka School

Prosecution Team investigator Rengin Ergül presented before the tribunal yet another horrendous crime, the bombing of the Shemoka School. On the evening of August 18, 2022, a civilian school in the Autonomous Administration of North and East Syria (AANES) was the target of a devastating airstrike while students were playing outside.

Lawyer Ergul said: “The school had been established to provide education for displaced children, offering academic subjects and recreational activities such as sports and music. The school was a neutral and non-militarized environment for learning. The explosion caused by the attack led to significant destruction, with several students killed and many others injured.”

Among those who lost their lives were Diana Elo, Zozan Zedan, Dilan Ahmed, Ranya Abdulrezaq, and Silava. Survivors, including students Rinde Bekir and Novîn Rîyade, shared accounts of the attack by video messages, emphasizing the lack of immediate support from international organizations.

Bombing of Simav Printing House

The last case presented was that of the bombing of the Simav Printing House in Qamishlo on 25 december 2023, in the morning. Prosecution team investigator Florian Bohsung said that: “The airstrike was conducted without any prior warning, killing 7 civilians and causing extensive damage to the printing press. Following the attack, the Turkish Ministry of National Defense claimed that the operation targeted terrorists and facilities of the Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK). However, based on the evidence collected, the victims had no affiliation with the PKK or any other political or military groups. Similarly, the printing press, which employed 28 people at the time, was used for civilian purposes, printing schoolbooks, newspapers, magazines, and leaflets. It was family owned and had no affiliation with the PKK or any other political or military groups.”